


Running on Instinct

by 1010nabulation



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: First Kiss, M/M, Military Training, Near Death Experiences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-23 23:25:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9686825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1010nabulation/pseuds/1010nabulation
Summary: Most people aren't worth Keith's time or the energy it takes to be more than mere acquaintances.  Shiro is... different.  For the first time in his life, Keith cares about what someone else thinks of him.  And honestly?  He doesn't know what to do in a situation like this.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Laylah](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laylah/gifts).



> Hello, friend! Enjoy a treat for your new fave fandom! :)

He isn't planning to do it. It just sort of... happens.

Keith has been dancing around Shiro for months, sometimes literally when Shiro is leading Keith through complicated hand-to-hand combat techniques in their shared physical fitness course. Keith couldn't be more grateful that the Garrison courses are offered by aptitude level and not by seniority, aside from the required introductory courses for incoming cadets. If courses were structured differently, Keith may never have had the chance to get to know Shiro in the first place, or gotten to experience Shiro's patient leadership and guidance firsthand, and likely would never have drawn his attention as someone worth getting to know.

But he did. And Keith's admiration and appreciation of Shiro has grown to alarming levels of late, to the point that any physical contact, no matter how brief or casual or obviously platonic leaves him with an elevated heart rate and his breathing shallow and fast. Literally no one else on Earth has ever caused him to feel this way. Most people aren't worth Keith's time or the energy it takes to be more than mere acquaintances. Shiro is... different. For the first time in his life, Keith cares about what someone else thinks of him. And honestly? He doesn't know what to do in a situation like this. 

How do people go about making friends, let alone start anything _more_ with someone?

Keith has no clue.

“It's all right. You're doing fine, Keith, just trust your instincts,” Shiro says, looking over at him from the co-pilot's seat of the small cruiser. Keith is in the pilot's seat, where he usually feels right at home, even taking the aircraft through the toughest training course the Garrison has to over, deep in Keystone Canyon. Today his nerves are on edge. He just nearly swiped a wing against the sheer face of the canyon as he flew through a narrow ravine, barely correcting their trajectory in time to lift them out of it safely. Shiro would have steadied them before they'd crashed, but the fact that he nearly had to at all has Keith's ears pink with shame.

He darts a glance at Shiro and nods once, the motion sharp. He's rattled, but the trust on Shiro's face sends a fierce surge of determination through him. “Yeah. Yeah, I've got this.”

Shiro smiles, and Keith has to force himself to pay attention to the course instead of staring.

“That's it,” Shiro says. “Think you can take us through the Devil's Snare next? It's coming up around the next bend.”

Keith licks his lips and narrows his eyes in sharp focus as he guides the cruiser through the tight ravine further until he sees the treacherous rock formation ahead. Only the most skilled cadets even attempt to make it through the Devil's Snare—it's called that for a reason. The rock outcroppings form a tunnel-like bridge through which a small cruiser just barely fits. “No problem.”

Trust his instincts. He can do that. Keith takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, then takes the cruiser in. Everything is going well, until Shiro murmurs a word of praise under his breath. Just that is enough to break Keith's concentration. It's only for a second, maybe two, but it's long enough that Keith nearly doesn't see the stalagmite-like towers of rock rising up to slice up the underside of their craft until it's too late.

“Keith,” Shiro says in warning. “Keith, pull up!”

He does so without thinking, his hands tightening on the controls and lifting the cruiser just slightly so that they skim above the stalagmites without crashing into the tunnel's ceiling or catching the wings on the sides of it. Keith's heart is still racing in the three further seconds it takes to navigate out of the Devil's Snare and back into a relatively more open area of Keystone Canyon.

Shiro lets out a whoop and laughs, reaching over to squeeze Keith's thigh—not clap him on the shoulder, not when that might jostle him as he's still flying the cruiser. “That was _incredible_.”

“I almost got us killed,” Keith chokes out. Just because he couldn't keep his head on straight when Shiro uttered a single word of praise.

“No, you were amazing. There's a reason you're considered the best pilot in your year,” Shiro says. “You should trust yourself more, Keith.”

That's the moment Keith decides he's had enough hesitating. It's time to take action. His stomach is doing flips, and not because they just narrowly avoided being smeared to paste inside the Devil's Snare. Shiro's words, the warm weight of his hand on his thigh... it's too much. 

“That's it,” he mutters. “I can't do this anymore.”

Abruptly, he pulls the cruiser up and flies almost straight up the sheer cliffside until they emerge out of the canyon and back into the flat desert above.

Shiro's gripping his leg tightly, startled by the sudden movement. “What—Keith! What's wrong?”

Keith lands the cruiser and turns to face Shiro. “You said to trust my instincts, right?”

Shiro stares wide-eyed at him, but nods. “Yes, absolutely.”

“Okay.” Keith takes a deep breath and sets his jaw. Then he leans forward and takes Shiro by the shoulders and kisses him firmly on the lips.

A small grunt of surprise escapes Shiro, but it doesn't take him long to absorb what's happening. When he does, he raises his hand to cradle the back of Keith's head and kisses back, meeting Keith's clumsy intensity with a slow and easy press of his lips. He gentles the kiss as he deepens it, tongue just barely teasing Keith's lower lip until Keith opens eagerly to him.

Keith's whole body is on fire. By the time the kiss is over, he's breathing hard and shaking slightly, like he's just finished a particularly intense round of physical training. “I've been wanting to do that for a long time,” he admits.

Shiro smiles. His fingers are gently carding through the hair at the back of Keith's neck. “Me too.”

That pulls a laugh out of Keith. Well, hell. He hadn't intended for any of this to happen today, but he has no regrets.

Except for one. He should have followed his instincts, and his heart, a long time ago.


End file.
